Embattled amusement-park operator SeaWorld Entertainment said March 17 that the killer whales now living at its facilities will be its last, as it will stop breeding them immediately and phase out theatrical orca shows.
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The almost 30 orcas that now call SeaWorld parks home will be the last generation of whales to do so after park officials announced today that it was ceasing the breeding of orcas at its parks and phasing out its live orca shows. “By making this the last generation of orcas in our care and reimagining how guests will encounter these lovely animals, we are fulfilling our mission of providing visitors to our parks with experiences that matter”. SeaWorld Entertainment, which has 12 parks in the US, has already announced plans to end orca displays at its park in San Diego, California after coming under the scrutiny of regulators, USA Today reported.
In November 2015, California’s Rep. Adam Schiff introduced a whale captivity ban called ORCA Act to end the breeding and training of killer whales.
“The fact that SeaWorld is doing away with orca breeding marks truly meaningful change”.
“I guess it’s good and bad because it’s ecologically friendly and positive, a positive thing”, Duarte said about the changes for SeaWorld’s orcas. The announcement has been long-awaited following intense criticisms about SeaWorld’s alleged poor treatment of the captive orcas, also known as killer whales.
Orcas have been a centerpiece of the SeaWorld parks since shows at the Shamu stadium in San Diego became the main draw in the 1970s, helping to make SeaWorld a top tourist attraction.
“That was a very horrific moment for our company”, Manby said. Instead of publicly releasing the entire line-up before a concert series starts, SeaWorld Orlando now announces performers one concert at a time, each about a week before the event. No orcas will be released to the wild.
But while People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) celebrated Thursday’s announcement, they also argued that “more must come”. It noted that the orcas were not part of the marine environment because all care, breeding and transportation of the animals occurred on shore and was outside of the commission’s jurisdiction. Just a few months ago, The Dodo spoke exclusively with a former diver, Sarah Fischbeck, who revealed that SeaWorld’s orcas would regularly rip strips of skin off each other and that the dolphins would attack and even kill each other. “As long as it takes for this current population to pass on, and that is it. There will be no more new orcas”. He explained that when the park opened in 1964, orcas were feared, hated, and hunted, but SeaWorld gave the public the opportunity to learn about the mammals and see them up close.
It is a victory for animal activist groups worldwide, and a step in the right direction for SeaWorld.
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SeaWorld bosses will turn their attention to “new, inspiring, natural orca encounters”, according to company CEO Joel Manby.
